Zumwalt Prairie Plateau – State Wildlife Action Plan

Geographic boundaries of the COAs were updated for the 2026 State Wildlife Action Plan and the associated COA profiles are intended to provide additional information. Content of each COA profile is being refined and will be updated to reflect current conditions when feasible. Please help us by submitting information on Local Conservation Actions, Plans, or Potential Partners to: OCS.revision@odfw.oregon.gov.

At the eastern edge of the ecoregion northeast of Enterprise and Joseph, the area builds from TNC Zumwalt Prairie and extends northwest to include significant canyon and riparian habitat.

Recommended Conservation Actions

Continue to restore and maintain native grassland habitat
Promote early detection and suppression of invasive weeds
Restore or enhance riparian habitats

Local Conservation Actions and Plans

Eastern Oregon Bird Conservation Plan
Important Bird Areas of Oregon

Potential Partners

Bureau of Land Management
The Nature Conservancy
US Forest Service
Nez Perce Tribe
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla

Special Features

General

Includes significant grassland habitats
One of the largest blocks of native grassland in North America
Provides habitat for numerous wildlife species including breeding birds and butterflies

Previously Associated With

2006 COA ID BM-24 (Swamp Creek)
2006 COA ID BM-25 (Zumwalt Prairie Plateau)
2006 COA ID BM-26 (Hells Canyon)

Protected Areas

Swamp Creek
Wallowa County Fair Grounds
Wallowa Whitman
Warde Park
Zumwalt Prairie
Zumwalt Prairie - Pine Creek

Specialized Local Habitats

Canyon shrublands

Ecoregions

Blue Mountains

Located in NE Oregon, the Blue Mountains ecoregion is the largest ecoregion in the state. It provides a diverse complex of mountain ranges, valleys, and plateaus that extend beyond Oregon into the states of Idaho and Washington.

Key Habitats

Grasslands

Grasslands include a variety of upland grass-dominated habitats, such as upland prairies, coastal bluffs, and montane grasslands.

Late Successional Mixed Conifer Forests

Late successional mixed conifer forests provide a multi-layered tree canopy, including large-diameter trees, shade-tolerant tree species in the understory, and a high volume of dead wood, such as snags and logs.

Natural Lakes

Natural lakes are relatively large bodies of freshwater surrounded by land that were formed through geological processes, such as glacial scouring, tectonic movements, volcanic activity and river meander cutoffs. In Oregon, natural lakes are defined as standing water bodies larger than 20 acres, including some seasonal lakes. Depth is not a reference for characterization of …

Ponderosa Pine Woodlands

Ponderosa pine woodlands are common in Oregon’s eastside ecoregions. While dominated by ponderosa pine, these woodlands may also have lodgepole pine, western juniper, aspen, western larch, grand fir, Douglas-fir, mountain mahogany, incense cedar, sugar pine, or white fir, depending on ecoregion and site conditions. Known for their open forest structure, these woodlands generally have fewer …

Flowing Water and Riparian Habitats

Flowing Water and Riparian Habitats include all naturally occurring flowing freshwater streams and rivers throughout Oregon as well as the adjacent riparian habitat.